Cessation
by Waterdancer
Summary: Will and Francie's burgeoning relationship takes a pause-**Final Chapter Added**
1. Chapter 1

"Cessation"

Distribution: CD as always. Anyone else please ask.

Summary: Will and Francie's burgeoning relationship takes a pause. 

Rating: PG/PG-13

Classification: Drama/Angst/General.

A/N: Thanks to Robin, as always, for the wonderful beta, and not disowning me.  I don't know what I'd do without you.Some of this story refers to the story I did called Appat.

Feedback: YES! 

Email: jch114@hotmail.com

Disclaimer: I do not own Alias.  I do not receive any royalties from Alias. Alias and all its elements are owned by ABC, Touchstone Television, JJ Abrams, Bad Robot Productions, and anyone else who gets a paycheck from the show. Alex Cooper is all mine.

****

"Will! Are you ready yet?" Francine called from behind his closed bedroom door, then, she giggled. "You're worse than me." 

"Yeah, I'll be out in a second," he responded. Running his hand through his freshly cut hair, he looked down at his outfit: beige khakis and a white shirt.  _I just hope that I don't look ridiculous.  She had told him to dress casual but not to wear jeans. The sales clerk told him that the khaki's brought out his eyes.  __Whatever that means._

"Fran?" he called as he walked into the living room. 

"I'm here," she replied, coming out of the kitchen holding two bottles of water. "You look great."

"You think so? Thanks," he said as he took the bottle out of her hand and took a sip.  He looked her up and down. She was wearing a short denim skirt that showed off her toned legs with a sleeveless camouflage top. He blushed when he thought of the last time that he saw her out of that skirt. "You look great, too."

"Thanks.  So, are you ready to try curry chicken?" She took a sip from the bottle in her hand.

"I don't know.  Me and spicy food really don't get along," he said teasingly, patting his stomach.

She shook her head and put the cap back on the bottle. "No, no.  A month ago, you dragged me to that sushi restaurant. I still like my fish cooked, thank you very much. You have to come with me to this place."

"Yeah, a month ago," he said as he walked over to her, "was one of the best nights of my life." He kissed her gently. "For the record, Francie, you ended up liking the sushi."

"Yes, I did," she replied. "So, you could have another great night if you come with me. I promise that you will." She started to nibble on his ear.

A chill went up his spine as her lips caressed his ear lobe. He placed his hands on her waist and pulled her closer.  _If we don't get out of here now, we'll never eat. They had missed several dinners over the last few weeks because they never made it out of the front door._

He ran his fingers up the small of her back and smiled. "Ok, ok. I'll go with you."

"Good! I thought you'd see it my way," she mumbled as she kissed his neck. "Let's go."

***

As they walked into the restaurant, slow reggae music played softly through the speakers. There was a scent of cinnamon and something else that Will couldn't identify wafting through the air. In the center of the restaurant sat a glass bar that had tropical fish in it. A dance floor near the bar and a deck allowed people to mingle and drink.  

"Will, isn't this amazing?" Francie said as they walked in farther. 

He took in all the surroundings: the wood grain floors and pictures of the Caribbean on the walls.  On the tables, the centerpieces were conch shells that had been polished to perfection. "It is pretty cool," he said, smiling at her over his shoulder.

"Table for two," Francine said to the hostess.

"Follow me," she replied with a hint of a Jamaican accent.

As they walked past the dance floor, she stopped.  "Is it possible to get a table close to the dance floor?"

"No problem, miss," the hostess responded.  She picked out a booth in the corner. "Follow me." She handed the menus to them as they sat down.

****

"What are you going to order?" Francie asked as she placed her menu on the table and watched the waitress walk towards them. She bit her lip as he poured over his menu.  She fought the urge to mess with his hair.  "Will?"

He looked up at the waitress.  "Sorry. I think I'll have the jerk chicken and some vegetables."

Francie's eyes widened in shock.  "I thought you and spicy food didn't get along."

"We don't. Usually," he said, winking his eye and grinning broadly at her.  "So, what are you having?"

"I'll have the curry shrimp and fried plantains," she said. 

The waitress took their menus and walked away.

"We forgot to order something to drink," he said, turning around to catch the waitress' attention.

"Don't worry about it. I'll go to the bar and order us something.  A beer?" she asked, standing up.  

"Yeah, a beer.  Thanks," he replied. "I'll be here when you get back."

"You better be," she said, leaning down and kissing him on top of his head. "I'll be back."

***

She pushed her way through the gyrating crowd and went to the bar. "Excuse me?" she said loudly as the bartender rushed by her. 

"Dammit," she muttered under her breath. She stood up on the foot rail and leaned over the bar.  "Excuse me," she shouted.  

"What'll ya have?"  The bartender looked young enough to be her kid brother but he had thin stubble on his jaw.  He appeared to be trying to scowl at her. 

"Two Red Stripes," she responded, handing him some money.

He handed her the two beers and some napkins.  "Thanks," she called over her shoulder as she turned to walk back to the table.  

She held the beers over her head as she pushed her way back through the crowd. Someone bumped into her side, causing one of the beers to slip from her hands.  

"Watch it!"  She stumbled as the beer fell from her hand, drenching her skirt.

She was blotting her skirt when she felt someone come behind her.  "I'm sorry about that. Let me buy you another one."

"You know a simple 'excuse me' would have been good," she said as she turned to face the person who made her spill the beer.  Her eyes widened in surprise, and her mouth hung open. "Alex Cooper! What are you doing here?" She wrapped her arms around him.

"I could ask you the same thing," he said, returning her hug. "How are you, Francine?"

"I'm here with a friend, and I'm doing great," she said, smiling.  He looked at her strangely. "What? Am I not supposed to be doing great?"

"No. No. It's not that at all. I heard about what happened between you and Charlie," he replied.  "Being that I'm his cousin, I didn't expect you to even want to see me."

"Luckily for you, Alex, being an ass isn't hereditary. You were always okay with me, even after what had happened.  By the way, I thought you had a job in Philadelphia with a public relations firm."

"I do, rather I did.  I missed California too much, and there just happened to be an open position with their office here, so here I am," he said with a smile. "Now let me buy you a new beer."

***

From their table, Will searched through the crowd for Francie.  He felt a big smile coming to his face when he spotted her walking back holding two beers.  He stood up as she reached the table. "I was wondering what was taking so long."

"I'm sorry," she replied, sitting the two beers down. "I dropped one, and—"

"Francie, you know that I made you drop that beer," a deep voice said behind her.

She smiled and moved to the side. "Will, I'd like you to meet Charlie's cousin, Alex Cooper."

He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He remembered their first date a month ago at the sushi bar.  They had talked about her type that night. Charlie had been her type. _Bastard.  This Alex was, too._

He was tall, a couple inches over six feet.  Short hair, light colored eyes.  The muscles in his arms and neck screamed "football" player.  His smile was friendly and confident. Yes, Alex, was just the kid of guy Francie had always gone for, even as an undergrad. 

Will's smile froze on his face as he greeted Alex. He shook his hand, and the sinking feeling got worse when he saw Francie smile up at the other man. _Why is she so comfortable with him? He's Charlie's cousin. He's probably an ass like him. ___

"Nice to meet you, Alex," he said. 

"Same here," Alex responded.  Will realized then that Alex was sizing him up as well. 

"I've asked him to join us. If that's okay, Will?"

He wanted to tell her no.  In fact, he wanted to scream it.  The way Alex looked at her bothered him. Bothered him a lot.  He looked over at Francine, who looked so happy about the other man joining them. He relented.

"Sure, it's fine," he replied. Sitting down, he moved to the center. "You should know, though, that we've already ordered."  _Take the hint, Alex._

Alex motioned for Francine to sit down, and he sat across from her.  "I told her that I had, too, but she insisted, which meant that I had no choice.  The waitress is bringing my food over here."

The sinking feeling continued when he saw her smile broadly at Alex.  She said coyly, "Now, I wasn't that bad."

He chuckled and titled his head. "Your exact words were 'Alex, you have no choice.' If that's not insisting, I don't know what is."

Will tried to keep his eyes from rolling out of his head as he watched her giggle. He hadn't seen her this giddy since the night they had gotten drunk and watched _Spaceballs.  A sigh of relief left his body when he saw the waitress walk over to the table holding three plates of food._

"This smells great," Alex said, taking a deep breath as the waitress set the plates down in front of them.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

****

As the waitress took their plates away, Francine stood up.  "I have to go to the ladies room. I'll be back; you guys try not to miss me too much," she said with a smile as she walked away.

Will watched her leave and felt his heart skip a beat. She swayed her hips as if she knew he was watching her.  She looked over her shoulder and met his gaze with a wink.  He shook his head and turned his attention to Alex.

"She said that you were Charlie's cousin.  How did you meet? Did he introduce you guys at a family function or something?" he asked, taking a sip of his beer.

"I met Francine _before Charlie actually. I met her while she was shopping on Melrose," Alex said. He took his napkin out of his lap. "We went out a few times."_

"You guys went out? What happened?" Will asked, trying to mask his curiosity.  That sinking feeling was back.

"I was too busy with school and other commitments," he responded matter-of-factly. "I introduced her to Charlie, and he was able to tell her how he felt.  The rest, as they say, is history."

"You introduced her to Charlie?"

"Yeah, I did. I feel like what happened with them was my fault. She doesn't blame me, but I still feel guilty."

_As well you should, Alex. "Well, don't beat yourself up over it.  She's doing great."_

"Yeah, she is," he murmured as they spotted her across the room, heading towards them. "One thing I did learn from that experience, Will, is that I won't miss that opportunity again."

"What opportunity?"

"To get her back," he responded, taking another sip of his beer. Will almost choked on his. Both men grew quiet as they watched her make her way back to the table.

"What?" she asked as she sat down "You guys seemed to be in deep conversation, please don't let me stop you." 

Alex smiled slyly.  "We were just talking about how great you're doing, and how happy you seem to be."

Will watched as Francie grinned broadly. _Her cheeks must be hurting by now. _

"I've never been happier, Alex," she said.

"That's good to hear," he replied.  A slow reggae beat started to come through the speakers and a crowd was starting to form on the dance floor.

"Hey, Francie," Alex said as he stood up, "Would you like to dance?"

She looked at Will as if asking him if it was okay. "I don't want to leave you here sitting by yourself."

Will looked at Alex who was standing behind her, his face trying to hide his disappointment.

 "I'll be fine, Francie.  Really."

"If you're sure?" she asked with her eyebrow raised.

"I am. So, go."

***

Will watched as they danced together.  That sinking feeling he felt earlier had grown into simmering anger. He wanted walk over and snatch her out of his arms.  He took another sip of beer, and sank back in the booth.  He could feel heat coming to his face as he watched Francine rub Alex's arm, the way she would rub his arm when they would watch an old movie or after they--

No. He wouldn't think that.  _Alex is just her friend. __He may want her, but she doesn't want him. She wants me. He's just her friend._

He continued to watch them from his corner in the booth.  He almost choked again on his beer as he saw Alex pull her close to him and whisper something in her ear. She smiled and nodded.

_He's probably asking her to spend the night with him.  He moaned and put his head down on the table._

"Will?" Francine asked. "Are you alright?"

_No, I'm not okay.  This guy is all over you. He looked up from his position on the table.  _

"I'm fine. Just a little tired," he said sitting up and rubbing his temples.

"Yeah, you do look it," she said, "I'm sorry that we've stayed so long."

_No, I'm sorry that you ran into him._

"You know what, Francine? I'm feeling a little tired as well," Alex said.

She looked around at the dispersing crowd. "I guess you guys are right. I don't want to shut the place down. We should get out of here." 

_He should get out of here, Fran._

He watched as Alex pulled out a business card from his wallet and scribbled something on the back of it.  He handed it to her.

"My home number is on the back." He patted the front pocket of his shirt. "I have your number here. I'll call you tomorrow so we can set a time for me to pick you up for the reception." He gathered Francine up in his arms and gave her a tight hug. "I'm really glad to see you again."

"Me too, Alex," she said as he hugged her.

He held out his hand to Will. "Nice to meet you too, Will.  Maybe we'll see each other again sometime."

Will returned his handshake. "I look forward to it." _Like hell, I do._

***

As they walked back to the car, she kept looking at Will. He kept his head faced forward, his eyes unblinking.  

She stopped and looked up at him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Fran," he said looking at his watch, "It's late. We should be getting home."

"It's only 11:30!" she exclaimed, pulling his arm. "Will, what's wrong?"

He stopped and stared down at her. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he looked up into the night sky. "Why did you agree to go out with Alex?"

"I didn't think it was that big of a deal, Will. Besides he's my friend," she said looking at him strangely.  He grunted.  "What?  Why are you grunting?"

"He said that you two dated for a while, Fran," he said as he looked over her head at a couple walking out the restaurant holding hands.

"We only went out a few times," she replied, tilting her head, "Why?"

"I'm just trying to understand why you would agree to go out with him when you and I have been seeing each other," he said, dropping his arms to his side.

She stepped back in shock. "Seeing each other, Will?" Disbelief coursed through her veins. "At least Alex isn't afraid to introduce me to his friends."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Why haven't you told Sydney about us?" She asked quietly looking at him.  Her shoulders tensed as she prepared to hear the answer that always came with that question.  _Francie, it's not time yet. _

She watched as he took a deep swallow, showing that he wasn't prepared for that question tonight.  Whenever she brought it up, he would smile and tell a joke.  She'd mess with his hair, he'd kiss her, and all would be forgotten.  _Not this time._

 "Francie, we both agreed that when the time was right we would tell her."

"When will the time be right? After we get married and have a few kids?" she asked, her voice shaky. "I have this great guy, and I can't even tell my best friend that I found him."

Reaching the car, she turned to him.  "I have to drive over to your house so we can go out.  The only way I can see you at the apartment is if Sydney isn't there. We search for obscure restaurants so we don't run into Sydney. I can't even wake up with you next to me in the morning, and that kills me. I can't be with you the way I want, and I'm not sure if I can or if I want to keep this up, Will."

****

When they reached his house, she got out of the car before he turned the ignition off.

"Fran, wait a minute," he said, climbing out the car and walking over to her. 

"What, Will?" she said, reaching into her purse for her keys.

"Will you look at me?" He put a hand on her shoulder.

She turned to face him, her eyes shining. "What?"

"Are you telling me that we're over?" he asked, biting his lip. He knew that not telling Sydney what was going on with them was going to catch up with him, he just hoped it wasn't now.

"What I'm telling you is that I can't be with someone who can't even tell his best friend about me."  She opened her car door and got in.  "When you are able to tell her, maybe we can try this, but until then, Will, I'm sorry." Closing the door, she started the car and backed out of the driveway. 

He watched as she drove around the corner. A loud crash of thunder went across the sky as a drop of water hit his head.  He couldn't remember the last time it rained, but it seemed fitting that it was raining tonight. _Just to match my mood._

He stood in the rain for a few moments, and then went into his house.


	2. Chapter 2

"Cessation"

Distribution: CD as always. Anyone else please ask.

Summary: Will and Francie's burgeoning relationship takes a pause. 

Rating: PG/PG-13 for language

Classification: Drama/Angst/General.

A/N: Thanks to Robin, as always, for the wonderful beta, and not disowning me.  I don't know what I'd do without you.

Feedback: Yes.

Email: jch114@hotmail.com

Disclaimer: Dude, if I owned Alias, I would share as much information as legally possible without losing my job. Alias and all its elements are the property of ABC, Touchstone Television, JJ Abrams, Bad Robot, and anyone else who gets a paycheck.  Alex Cooper is mine.

***

Francine dabbed at her eyes with the torn tissue from her purse.  As she leaned on the wall near the door of the apartment to take the weight off of her ankle, she ran her hands through her now wet hair.  The storm had sprung up as soon as she left Will's, and it had yet to let off any. _Will. A memory of his fallen face appeared in her mind, and fresh tears came to her eyes. __Why couldn't he just understand? She covered her mouth to hide the soft sob that shook her shoulders._

"Fran?" Sydney called out as she opened the door.

She coughed and dabbed at her eyes again.  "Hey, Syd."

"Fran? You okay?" she asked, opening the door wider and stepping to the side.

She sniffed and smiled slightly.  "Yeah, I'm okay. Twisted my ankle a little bit coming up the stairs."

Sydney's eyes widened, and she hurried to help her into the house.

***

"Do you want some tea or something, Francie?" Sydney asked from the kitchen.  

Francine pulled the blue blanket around her tighter.  Her hair, now dry, was pulled into to two pigtails and her injured ankle was up on the table.  "I'm fine."

Sydney came back from the kitchen holding two steaming cups.  She handed one to Francine and sat down next to her.  "I know you said you didn't want anything, but you look like you could use it."

"Thanks, Syd," she said, taking a sip of her tea. Sydney was right. As the warm liquid flowed down her throat, she felt better.  She ached to tell Sydney what happened tonight with Will. She cursed at him silently for taking that away. "You'll never believe who I ran into tonight."

Sydney's eyebrows rose as she took a sip from her own cup. "Who?"

"Alex Cooper," she replied, putting her tea on the end table next to her.

"Alex Cooper? Charlie's cousin? " Sydney asked in shock, placing her cup on the coffee table in front of them. "Where did you see him?"

"One in the same.  I ran into him while I was downtown," she said, looking to her friend for a response.  She'd always liked Alex._ Better than Charlie anyway._

Sydney leaned back on the couch and her lips formed a tiny "o"   "So, how is he? Was he here visiting his family? How does he look?"

"He's fine. He was working in Philadelphia, but now he's back at the LA office. We just happened to run into each other. He looks pretty good." She regretted the words as soon at they left her lips. She felt her face grow warm; even though she had been with Will, she had been checking Alex out. 

Sydney looked at her again, raising her eyebrow and taking a sip of her tea. "So, are you going to see him again?" A slight smile played on her lips.

Francine reached in her purse and pulled out a business card.  She flipped it in her hand a few times and said, "I don't know if I am.  He asked me to go with him to some reception for his job, but I think I'm going to call him and cancel."

"Why?  It's not like you are seeing anyone right now."

_Not anymore. "No, I'm not, Syd. Thanks for pointing that out," she replied, biting her lip._

"Fran, that's not what I meant," Sydney said quickly, placing the cup back on the coffee table

 "It's just that ever since Charlie, you haven't been out with anyone. I know you go out with Will and me, but that's not the same.  I'd like to see you happy."

_I have been happy, Syd. Happier than I've been in a long time, but I just couldn't tell you about it. "I know you do, but I just don't know, Sydney," she said with finality._

"You should go. What could it hurt?"

_It could hurt, Will. I don't want to hurt him._

"No one."

"Then go.  Call him in the morning, and tell him that you'd love to go.  It could be fun."

****

Scrolling through the names in his cell phone's address book, he stopped at Francine's.  His finger played against the talk button. _I should call her, tell her that I'm a fucking idiot._

He pressed talk and waited. "Hi, you've reached Francine. Please leave a message after the tone, and I'll get back with you as soon as humanly possible. Have a great day!"

He sighed and leaned back on the couch. "Fran, it's Will, but you probably already know that. Look, I'm sorry for acting like such an ass earlier. I miss you already. Call me. Please." He hit the off button.  _Why can't I tell Sydney about us? It's not like I haven't had the opportunity. Am I still into her?_

He shook his head at that thought. He knew that first time that he and Francie had gone out and spent the night together, he was over Sydney. _So, why can't I tell her about us?_

Standing up, he tossed his cell phone on the couch. _ I'll wait until tomorrow; I'll go over there to talk to her. Convinced that this was the right solution, he turned off the light next to his couch, and went into his bedroom._

****

"Alex! I'm okay," Francine said, giggling.  "You don't have to do that."

"But I do, Francine.  I can't have you fending for yourself while Sydney's away." He sat on the couch next to her. "You could injure your ankle more." He handed her a plate. "And I couldn't deal with that."

 "Thank you," she said as she took a bite of the eggs. "This is good. You've finally mastered the art of cooking eggs."

He put his hand to his chest and batted his eyes, "Well, I do declare, the great Miss Calfo has complimented me on my cooking."

She tossed a pillow at him. "It's not my fault you almost burned down your kitchen because you couldn't figure out how to boil fish."

He looked at her and winked. "You were distracting me, Francine. You know, with your gushing over James Martin, on that show _Angel."_

"His name is James Marsters, and he's on _Buffy, not __Angel," she said with a smile. _

"Fine, whatever.  You still distracted me."

She threw another pillow at him. "You were easy to distract, Alex.  All I had to say was that Faith was on the show, and you were there before I was."

"Well, she was hot, Francine. What could I do?"

"Yeah, what could you do? You could have paid attention to the fish," she said matter-of-factly.

"Ha, ha.  Are you done with that?" he asked. 

"I am, thanks," she said, handing him her plate and wiping her mouth.

He put the plate on the table next to them and motioned for her to put her ankle on his lap.  "When I was in school, they showed us various techniques on stretching and playing through slight sprains. I'm going to work on your ankle.  I can't have you limping when I need a dancing partner this week."

"Like I've told you before, Alex. You don't have to do that. I'll be fine," she said trying to move away from him.

He picked up her ankle gently and put it on his lap. "Will you please let me do this? I'm supposed to look after to you, and you are being a difficult patient."

She stuck out her tongue at him and sighed loudly, "Will I ever be rid of you?"

He stretched out his fingers and smiled. "Not if I can help it, now hush."

Feeling her body relax, she sighed as he gently massaged her ankle.  _Damn, this feels good.  Her cheeks grew hot again.  She felt embarrassed for thinking that; she was supposed to be upset about what happened with Will last night.  Just as he was getting ready to start the second round, the doorbell rang._

"I'll get the door, Francine, you sit still," he said to her as he placed her ankle gently back on the table.

 "I'm perfectly capable of getting the door, Alex."

"By the time you get to the door, whoever it is will be gone.  I can get it."

She sank back in the couch and sighed loudly.  "I feel like I'm ten years old again."

"And if you were, you'd still be a bad patient," he replied chuckling, as he opened the door.  He stepped back in surprise. "Hey, Will. What's up?"


	3. Chapter 3

"Cessation"

Distribution: CD as always. Anyone else please ask.

Summary: Will and Francie's burgeoning relationship takes a pause. 

Rating: PG/PG-13 for language

Classification: Drama/Angst/General.

A/N: Thanks to Robin, as always, for the wonderful beta, and not disowning me.  I don't know what I'd do without you.

Feedback: Yes

Email: jch114@hotmail.com

Disclaimer: Um, Alias isn't mine. I don't own any part of it. If it was mine, I'd be honored, and sitting in award show audiences with Michael Vartan on one side, David Anders on another, and Bradley Cooper in the front. Anything Alias related is the property of ABC, Touchstone Television, JJ Abrams, Bad Robot, and anyone else who gets a paycheck from the show.

*****

Will stepped back in surprise. _What the hell is he doing here?_ "Um. Hey, Alex, is Francie here?"  

Will heard Francie's voice calling out from the living room, "Whoever it is, Alex, tell them we don't want any."  

"It's Will, Francine," he called over his shoulder as he stepped to the side. "Come on in."

Will followed Alex into the living room where she was sitting. His heart sank when he saw her sitting on the couch in her pajamas, looking disheveled and embarrassed. As if she had been caught doing something he didn't want to believe that she would do after their fight.

Unlike last night, Alex seemed to receive Will's silent _Go away.  _Alex looked at him and looked back at Francine. "I'll be in the kitchen, Francine, if you need me." He picked up some plates from the coffee table and walked away.

"Fran?" Will said to her tentatively.  He caught his breath when he saw her shoulders tense up as he stepped closer to her.  

"What do you want, Will?" she said quietly.

He sat down in the chair across from the couch and looked at her intensely. He saw some sort of emotion in her eyes. He felt his heartbeat slow down as he studied at her. He already missed her smile.  "Look, I want to apologize for acting like such a dick last night."

"Yeah, I know. I got your message," she replied quietly, her shoulders still rigid and her voice hard.

"You did?  Well, why didn't you call me back?" he asked, confused. 

"Unless you are here to tell Sydney about us, then your apology while necessary isn't really important," she replied, returning his gaze.

"Fran, I can't tell Sydney about us.  It's not time, yet," he said.

"Will, that's a load of bullshit.  We've been sleeping together, and seeing each for entire month. It's okay to sleep with me, but you can't tell Syd about us?  That makes a lot of sense," she responded, bitterness filling her voice.

He looked at her with his eyes widened; it wasn't like her to sound so upset. It wasn't Francie. She was the more upbeat one.  "It's complicated, Francie. There are too many things to think about."

"What's there to think about, Will? 'Sydney, Francie and I have been seeing each other the past month together. Deal with it.' See, it's not that hard," she said sarcastically.  

***

Alex watched with interest the body language between Will and Francine. His mother had always taught him not to be so nosy, but ever since he had ran into Francine last night-- _Surprise, Surprise._ He had been about the relationship between the two of them. Of course, he wouldn't ask; it wouldn't be proper.  However, he hoped that there was nothing besides friendship between them. Seeing her again had brought back fantastic memories, and he intended to capitalize on them.

While watching them, he didn't notice the butter, which had gotten on the front of his shirt. He cursed inwardly when his hand touched the growing greasy stain on his shirt.

"Francine, where's your bathroom?" he asked. "I've gotten butter on the front of my shirt, and I'd like to try to get it out."

She turned back to him, and her eyes were shining as if she were crying. He looked at her . _What is going on?_

She cleared her throat and said, "Go around the corner, and it's the first door on the left."

"Thanks," he mumbled as he walked by the couch. He looked back at Francine who was staring straight ahead, and at Will who seemed to be dealing with something himself.

***

"What's he doing here?" Will asked. Will looked at Francie who was continued to look straight ahead at some spot over his shoulder. 

"I don't think that's any of your business, Will. Like I told you last night, Alex is my friend, and I can have friends over."

"In the morning, Francie?  I walk in here, see some strange man, and you in your pajamas looking embarrassed. And I'm not supposed to ask why's Alex here?" He felt that simmering anger from the night before returning. 

"First of all, Will, for you to ask me would imply that I'm your girlfriend," she said quietly. "Last I checked, you hadn't told our best friend about us, so I'm not really your girlfriend.  If you had paid attention, instead of immediately assuming that I was embarrassed, you'd notice that my ankle is up on a table," she said, pointing to her left foot. "Alex is here to make sure that I'm okay."

"Your--your ankle?" he stammered, feeling ashamed of his previous accusatory tone. "What happened?"

"I slipped on a rock last night coming up the walkway.  It's a slight sprain."

"Why didn't you call me? I would have been over here to see if you were okay," he said. 

"I couldn't call you, Will, because Sydney was here. Don't you see?" she asked her voice, shaky. "There shouldn't have been a reason why I couldn't call you. I want to tell Sydney what's happened with us, but I can't because you hadn't found the right time to tell her."

"I promise that I will, Francie," he said quietly, looking down at his hands.

"No, no. I think it's too late for that, Will; I had to break things off with you for you to get that fact through your head. It's not fair for you to ask me not to say anything to her." It tore at his heart to see her in such pain; it was his fault, and telling Sydney wouldn't fix this.

"Francie, I know it's not, but all I'm asking is that you give me a little more time."

She looked at him with sadness reaching her eyes. "I can't, Will. I just can't."

He felt his world stop.  He was sure that coming over here, seeing her would change her mind, and they could go back to being Will and Francie. "Fran? Please?"

"You should go, Will. Sydney will be home soon," she said, looking away from him.

He stood up from the couch. "Francie, I'm here if you want to talk about this." _Please, tell me to stay.  Tell me something. Yell, cry. Do something._

"I know you are, Will," she replied, still looking away. "You really should go."

His hands dropped to his side, and he could hear the sadness in his own voice as he said, "This isn't right, Francie. Me and you.  We're supposed to be together."

"Will," she said, meeting his eyes again, "Do you remember a month ago, the first time we slept together?"

"How could I ever forget, Francie? That night was special to me."

"I told you that I felt like you are going to wake up and realize what happened between us was a mistake, and that I wouldn't go through that again. Do you remember that?"

"Yes, I do. What are you getting at?"

She ran her hand over her hair, and she sighed loudly. "I know my saying this is going to hurt you, and I'm sorry for saying it:  I'm starting to regret it.  Before that we still were friends, and we got along. Now, I just don't know. Can you please just go?"

Unable to speak, hurt more by her words than her actions, he turned on his heels and left.


	4. Chapter 4

"Cessation"

Distribution: CD as always. Anyone else please ask.

Summary: Will and Francie's burgeoning relationship takes a pause. 

Rating: PG/PG-13 for language

Classification: Drama/Angst/General.

A/N: Thanks to Robin, as always, for the wonderful beta, and not disowning me. I don't know what I'd do without you.

Feedback: Yes. 

Email: jch114@hotmail.com

Disclaimer: I do not own Alias. I do not get any sort of royalties from this.  Anything Alias related is owned by ABC, Touchstone Television, JJ Abrams, Bad Robot Productions. If I owned any part of Alias, Francie would have a storyline.

***

Alex stood at the sink in the kitchen and washed the breakfast dishes. After he had heard Will leave, he come out into the living room and had seen Francine holding her head in her hands. He had asked her what was going on. Mumbling that nothing was wrong, she had limped into her bedroom and shut the door. 

Drying his hands with the dishtowel, he called out, "Francine? Um, are you okay in there?" There was no response. He placed the towel on the counter and walked down the hallway to the closed bedroom door.

"Francine?" he called out again. Silence answered him. _She must be asleep. _He cracked the door open. 

He caught his breath when he saw her sitting on the bed, dabbing at her eyes. "Francine, you okay?"

"I've been better," she mumbled as she took a deep breath.

"You want to talk about it? If not, I can- "

"Alex, why is my love life such shit?" she asked suddenly.

He stepped back in shock. "Your love life? What are you talking about?"

"First it was Charlie. He cheated on me, and then didn't have the balls to tell me himself. Now, it's someone else." Alex watched as she cursed under her breath. "Francine, what is it?" He had a feeling that his suspicions about how Will had been acting earlier were about to be confirmed.

"It's Will," she said with sadness. Her shoulders sagged. 

"What about Will?" he said, walking further into her bedroom. He sat next to her on the bed.

"Will and I are-_were_ dating for about a month," she said quietly. "Now, because I think we can't see eye to eye on something, it's over for good between us."

Alex put his arm around her shoulders and listened to her explain what had gone on between the two of them. After she finished, she looked over at him with tears in her eyes. "Alex, I'm sorry to put this on you. You just came over here to check up on me, and you end up being used as a shoulder to cry on."

"Francine, you don't have to worry about that ever. I thought something was going on between you two, but I didn't want to intrude. Besides, that's what I'm here for." Alex sighed inwardly, cursing himself for not picking up on it when he saw them together last night. 

"Thank you, Alex. I appreciate it," she replied, looking up at him with a slight smile.

He felt his cheeks getting hot. Each time Francine smiled at him, he felt like a middle-school student getting his first crush. "Anytime, Francine. Anytime." 

****

"So, I told Alan that no matter what, I was going to pay the bill," Maxine was saying. "I mean if I didn't, I'd owe him. I hate owing people. You know what I mean, Will?"

Will mumbled his reply.

"I also dyed my hair school bus yellow and had mad, passionate sex with an alien." 

"That's good. Did you have a good time?" Will asked as he took a sip from his coffee.

"Will!" she said, grabbing his arm. "You're not even listening to me."

"Hm? I-I'm sorry. My mind was in a whole different place," Will said, leaning back on the counter.

"I can tell. You've been walking around like a zombie since you got in this morning. Litvack really laid into you for being late this morning, which isn't like you. Are you okay?"

Will frowned at the mention of his editor, or _Dragon Lady_ as she was called around the office. She told him that he had one more time to be late, and he'd be back to working as a freelancer for that online magazine. Which really wasn't fair since he had only been late twice the entire time he had worked for her. 

"Yeah, I think so. I need to ask you a question, Maxine. Is that okay?" He had always loved talking to Maxine about anything and everything. She was a trusted friend, and they had always had fun when they hung out.

"Of course it is, Will. What's up?" She asked, placing her cup on the counter and leaning against the counter next to him.

"You date, right?"

The young woman giggled. "I should hope so."

"I'm serious, Max," he said with a slight edge of frustration in his voice.

Maxine frowned at him. "I can tell that you are, Will. Yeah, I date some. What's going on?"

He took another sip of his coffee. "I have a dilemma. I have two friends. Both of these women are gorgeous, intelligent, and just wonderful friends. I've been in love with one of them for years."

"Sydney," she said with a nod.

Will winced. "Well, yeah. You know that I never told her, and you know that she was engaged to a great guy named Danny?"

Sadness flirted across her face. "Yeah, I remember when he died. You were pretty upset about it."

"I _thought_ I was still in love with her and was just waiting to tell her, until I—"

"Until you what, Will?" she asked urging him to continue.

"Until I went out with Francie," he finished.

"Oh," she said. She rolled her coffee cup between her hands and stared down at it. "So, what's the problem? Do you like her now?"

Will's eyes widened. "I'm crazy about her. Completely crazy about her," he replied with a slight smile on his face.

"So explain to me what your dilemma is again. You have someone that you're crazy about. You should be singing and dancing," she told him. "But you look like you've just lost your best friend, Will."

"Here's the thing: She wants me to tell Sydney about us." _Which I should have done a month ago, B.A.- Before Alex. _" Francie thinks my hesitation to tell our other friend is because I'm still in love with her."

"Well, is it?" Maxine's voice told him that she thought it was the problem. Will couldn't blame her; she had heard him talk about Sydney before.

"No! I already told you that, Max. I don't have feelings like that for her any more. I don't," he insisted.

"How long have you two been seeing each other anyway? You never even gave me a hint!"

"A month," he replied, ashamed.

"Wait a minute, Will" she said, her eyes getting wide. "I thought you had just started to see her, like a few days ago."

"Nope. We have—had been seeing each other for a month," he said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He missed her already.

"And she's pissed because you haven't told Sydney about you two?" Maxine asked matter-of-factly

"Yeah, that's it."

She pursed her lips and looked at him. "And you don't get why she's upset?"

"Oh, I do, but I don't know how to fix the problem," he said, exasperated.

"It's simple. Tell Sydney about you two and problem solved," she concluded, gathering files in her arms and turning to leave the break room.

"I wish I could, and it's not like I haven't had a chance to tell her. It's—it's just that I don't want to share."

"What are you? Four years old?" she asked, turning back to face him.

Will shook his head. "No, it's not that. When I'm with Francie, I'm myself. There aren't any pretensions, no awkwardness. It's just us. If I tell Syd about us, I'm worried that it could change how we are around each other."

Maxine stared at him and he shifted around, feeling like a school boy caught acting stupid by his teacher. "I can't explain it, Max. I'm just worried that everything will change if Sydney knows about us. Right now, we can meet and not worry about her. We aren't being Sydney's friends; we are being Will and Francie."

"That's a crock of shit, Will. Why would things change? If you care about this woman enough, it shouldn't matter who knows about you two. All that matters is that you care about her, and she cares about you."

"I know you're right, Maxine. I just needed someone to tell me that," he concluded, dropping his hand to his side.

"Of course, I'm right, Will. Now, let's get back to work," she said as she studied him. She stopped as he frowned again. "Now what?"

"There's another guy," he said. He could hear the pain in his voice. 

"Who is this other guy? An ex-boyfriend?" she asked, obviously intrigued by the story.

"She says that he's just her friend, but I _know_ that he's interested in her. He's told me that he wants her himself," he replied. _I should have told him then about us, but I've messed that up._

"And you think she'd go for him? In light of what's going on with you two?" she asked, her voice showing concern.

"My mind is telling me that there's no way that she'd go for him, but I can't help feeling as if I've already lost her," he answered, feeling defeated. He winced as he remembered what she had told him. _I'm starting to regret it._

"Tell her how you feel, Will. It'll work itself out. What's this guys name anyway?"

"Does it really matter, Max?" Will almost groaned. Trust a reported to ask a question like that.

"Not really, but since I'm naturally nosy, I want to know," she retorted, winking her eye.

He let out a big sigh. "Alex Cooper. He works for a public relations firm here in L.A."

"What did you say his name was?" she asked. She began shuffling through the papers in her arms, almost causing some of them to fall.

"Alex Cooper," he said, looking at her. "Why?"

She pulled out a press release and handed it to him. "Is this the same guy?" She pointed at a picture on the form. 

Will's eyes widened as he read over the release over. "Yeah, this is him. Who's covering this reception?" An idea was forming in his mind. _If this works, I can get her back._

"Weatherspoon, I think."

"His wife just had their first baby. I bet he'd like time off to spend time with them," Will said, rubbing his chin.

"Will! What are you thinking?" Maxine said, snatching the memo from his hands.

"Nothing. Nothing at all. Just thinking that he'd like a day off," he said as he walked out of the break room.


	5. Chapter 5

"Cessation"

Distribution: CD as always. Anyone else please ask.

Summary: Will and Francie's burgeoning relationship takes a pause. 

Rating: PG/PG-13

Classification: Drama/Angst/General.

A/N: Thanks to Robin and Celli for the wonderful beta. 

Feedback: YES! 

Email: jch114@hotmail.com

Disclaimer: I do not own Alias. I do not receive any royalties from Alias. Alias and all its elements are owned by ABC, Touchstone Television, JJ Abrams, Bad Robot Productions, and anyone else who gets a paycheck from the show. Alex Cooper is all mine.

***

Francine smoothed the tan shorts she was wearing as she sat on Alex's front porch. The afternoon sun had started to set, and he hadn't made it home yet.  She looked down at the picnic basket she had spent most of the afternoon preparing; her face grew warm as she thought of the teasing that she had endured from Sydney. 

_"You didn't go through this much trouble for Charlie."  _

"_Of course not, Syd. This time it's different." _

_"But why?" Sydney asked, smirking._

_"It just is," Francine had said, before leaving the apartment._

"Francine? Is everything okay?" 

"Oh. Hey, Alex, I didn't see you pull up," she replied, looking up at him. He had an easy smile on his face, and was dressed in gray gym clothes. "How are you?"

"I'm good. What are you doing here?" He sat down next to her on the porch and stretched his legs out. _God, he still has great legs. "Francine?_

"Bringing you dinner," she spit out. "You haven't eaten yet, right? Tell me you haven't eaten."

"Actually, I hadn't. I was going to order Chinese food." He reached behind her and opened the basket. "You know that you didn't have to do this for me," Alex said, a warm smile meeting his eyes.

She found herself looking into his eyes and blushing. "I--I know I didn't, but you were such a great friend to me the other day. It was really the least I could do."

"Thank you, Francine," he said, his hand brushing her shoulder. "I appreciate it," he said softly. 

"You are more than welcome," she replied. 

"Tell you what." He stood up from the porch and held his hand out to her. "I'm not exactly smelling like a bed of roses. Let's go inside--I'll get cleaned up, and then we can eat. Deal?"

"Deal," she answered, taking his hand.

****

"I moved in a little while ago, so I just haven't had the time to get everything the way I want," he said as he led her into the living room. "The kitchen is to your left, and you _should be able to find everything you'll need."_

Francine looked around the spacious living room. "This is gorgeous, Alex." She walked over and ran her hand across the Asian sculpture that was sitting on the shelf.  "I didn't know you were into art."

"I didn't either, until I went to Beijing earlier this year. I found this piece in a flea market, and before I knew it, I had three boxes filled to the brim with Asian art.  I didn't really have a place in my apartment in Philadelphia to show it off the way I wanted, but since I'm back home, I have all the room I can ever need."

"How did you find this place?" she asked as she ran her hand across the dark beige bookshelf. He always had good taste when it came to decorating; it was more evident now that he had a bigger house.  

"A friend of mine lives down the street, and I was out jogging. I ran into the owner as she was trying to set up the for sale sign in her yard.  She mentioned that this was her third attempt at selling the house, and she wasn't having any luck with potential buyers. At that time I was still sharing a house with my friend, and his girlfriend was spending a lot of time there. So—"

"She needed a buyer, and you needed a place to live," she said finishing his sentence. "It worked out for the best, Alex. This place is really beautiful." And it was. The walls had been painted a stark white, and the furniture was a pale beige color.  There were three windows in the living room-one picture window and two on both sides of the entertainment center. Various pieces of Asian artwork had been placed throughout the living room.

"Thanks, Francine, I worked hard on it. I'm going to go clean up, and then we can eat." 

****

Alex felt a smile coming to his face as he walked towards his bedroom. If someone told him that he'd see Francine again, he would have told them that they were crazy, but here she was. In his house. Alone, and looking beautiful.  He wondered if this was his opportunity to try to get her back.  _"You took too long with her, Alex."_ He frowned as his cousin's taunts came into his mind.  Charlie was the one who always got the girl, while he was the one who took things slower.  Admittedly, he _had _taken longer to tell Francine how he had felt, and by the time he had gotten around to telling her, she was already with Charlie.

_"Alex, I want to thank you for introducing me to Charlie. He's wonderful."_

"A wonderful bastard," he muttered as he looked at himself in the mirror. It had been over six months since he'd seen his cousin, and it would've been longer had it not been for the family reunion in San Diego.

_"Charlie, how's the planning going for the wedding?"_

_"There isn't a wedding, now, Alex. Francie and I broke up."_

_"What? Broke up? What-what happened?"_

_"She found out that I had been cheating on her."_

_"What? Cheating on her? What the hell is wrong with you?"_

_Charlie threw his hands up in dismissal. "What can I say? The ladies love me, little cousin."_

Alex rubbed his forehead. It had taken all he had not to punch Charlie out.  He had no idea of the kind of woman he'd had in Francine. She was kind-hearted, funny, easy to talk to, and beautiful. Charlie had been lucky to have her, and even if he hadn't realized it, Alex did.

Confident that his appearance was okay, he walked back into the hallway and towards the kitchen.

*****

Francine's eyes widened as she stepped onto his patio. She thought that she and Sydney had a big backyard for L.A., but his was easily twice the size of theirs.  She placed the basket on the table and started to set out their dinner.  

"Red or white?" Alex called from the open window.

"Do you have a Merlot?" Francine asked as she reached into the basket and set the napkins out on the table. "It'll go good with dinner." 

"By the way, what is for dinner?" Alex asked as he walked out to the patio, bottle in one hand and two glasses in another.

"I remembered that you didn't eat red meat, but that you loved lasagna." She pulled the top of off the white container. "So, I made vegetable lasagna.  I just hope you like it."

"I'm sure that it's fine. It doesn't matter to me what you brought for dinner, it's enough that you're here. Thanks," he said, smiling.  

Francine felt her heart skip a beat as he smiled at her.  His smile was almost as nice as Will's. The thought of him made her face fall, she hadn't talked to him since he had been at the apartment, and she missed him.

"Francine, you okay?"  

She came out of her trance and looked over at him.  Here she was with a great guy, and all she could think about was Will. The Will who wouldn't tell Sydney about them.  The Will who would ask her to meet him in clandestine areas just so they could go out. The Will who could still make her smile with just a glance. _This isn't fair._

"Francine, are you okay?" Alex asked, concern showing in his eyes.

_Suck it up, Francie._ She took a deep breath and smiled at him. "I'm sorry, Alex. I'm just a little distracted."  She picked up a loaf of garlic bread and cut a slice for him.  "Let's eat."

****

Alex couldn't stop smiling as he looked across the table at her.  She hadn't changed much over the past few years. Her hair had gotten longer, but the smile and the expressive eyes were still there. 

"So, tell me about your job? I remember not so long ago, you were still in a cubicle at an office building. Do you like it?"

"I really do. For a long time after I got out of school, I wondered if I had made the right decision, getting involved in public relations. It was a lot of work, but after a few months, and a lot of networking, I'm now the team leader for several new campaigns," he said, sitting back and interlocking his hands behind his head.

"You've done well, Alex. I'm very happy for you. I meant to ask you the other day, but I didn't get around to it. Is it okay if I ask you now?"

"Sure, Francine. Shoot." He took a sip of his wine and waited.

"Where's the girlfriend?"

"What girlfriend?" A flush came over his face. There were no women, not even a dog. It was just him in the house by himself.

"You're telling me that you aren't seeing anyone at all? You haven't dated anyone since you've been back."

"I've been out with people, but nothing has ever come from it. Dating in LA isn't a walk in the park. Why?"

"I was just curious. A good-looking guy like you; You should have women beating down your door. It doesn't make sense to me at all." She stood up and reached for the plate sitting in front of him.  

"No, let me get those, you've done enough for me today." He pulled the dish out of her reach.  "I'll take those inside, and you just relax. If you want to really relax, there's a hammock between those two trees over to your left."

"You have a hammock?" She said her mouth hanging open in surprise. 

Alex shook his head in response. He always received the same response.  Alex Cooper the urbanite was more content sitting in his hammock than he was with going out all the time.

"Why does that sound odd or something?" He asked. He could feel the amusement at Francine's reaction on his face.

"I just never pictured you sitting on a hammock. It's a surprise, that's all."

He set the glass on the table and stood up from the table.  "Care to try it out? It's really relaxing."

He held his hand out to her and waited. _What am I doing?_ _It had to be the wine talking. She's going to tell me no, and that will be that._

He watched as a slow smile came to her face. "Sure, Alex, let's go."  They both stood up from the table and walked over to the hammock.

****

"I love it, Alex," she told him as they swung the hammock back and forth.  It was between two large trees, and she thought it was just perfect for a lazy afternoon. She reached back and stretched. "You're right, this is very relaxing."

"I'm glad you're enjoying it," he murmured. _This is heaven_. The woman that he thought he'd lost was back. She was still hurting over a relationship, but nonetheless she was back. _Now, if I can just move my arm to the left. I'll have more room, and she'll be more comfortable._ He reached over and placed his hand over his head.

He caught his breath as his hand grazed over hers. "I'm—I'm sorry Francine. I didn't mean to—"  _Yes, you did. You did mean to touch her. In fact, you'd like to touch her again._

"Alex," she said softly.   "I don't have the Ebola virus. You can touch my hand, I don't mind."  She took his hand in hers. "I really don't."

Alex looked at her with a blank stare. _Did she just say she doesn't mind?_  He looked over her had towards the half empty bottle that they both drank heavily from. _It's the wine talking_, _it's has to be the wine._

"You okay over there, Cooper?" _She's still holding my hand._ "Alex," she said quietly. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, Francine. Just thinking."

"About what?" 

_About you. About missed opportunities. _"Nothing really. Just about how glad I am to see you, and to see that your ankle seems to be doing better"

She smiled broadly as she held her ankle up for inspection. "Yeah, it is. After you left that morning, I stretched it out, and did some of those exercises you showed me. The next day, my ankle was fine. Thank you."  She moved up the hammock and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks a lot."

_Did she just kiss me?_ "You're welcome. Anytime I can be of service, let me know," he responded, rubbing her cheek.  _"You're taking too long again, little cousin." _  Alex shook his head to clear the taunts of his cousin. He would not take advantage of the situation; it wouldn't be proper, or appropriate. Sure, the woman he was in love with was here at his house, sitting with him on this hammock, and smelling very nice, but taking advantage would be wrong. 

"Penny for your thoughts again, Alex. You've been a little too quiet. Am I crowding you out of the hammock?" She poked him in his side.

"No, that isn't it at all. It's built for two people. I've never had anyone over here long enough to join me." He poked her back. "So, please crowd away."

"Then what is it?" She asked as she moved closer to him.  "Why are you so quiet?"

_Just tell her. Tell her how you felt then._

"I was in love with you," he blurted out.

"What?" She said, turning around to face him. "You were in love with me?  What are you talking about?"

"Back when we first started going out. I was in love with you."  He took a deep breath.  _Okay, it's done. I've said what I have had to say. Now, if she runs out of here screaming, at least I've finally said what's been on my mind for a while._

"Alex," Francie said her eyes showing confusion. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you were falling for Charlie, and besides it wouldn't have been right for me to spring that on you. It wouldn't have been--"

"Proper?" She finished for him. "You really should've told me. Who knows what would have happened with us?"

"I know you're right, Francine, but I guess we'll never know."  He looked and met her sad glance with one of his own.

"Maybe we should find out," she said quietly.

"What?"

"I said, 'Maybe we should find out'," she repeated, leaning over to kiss him.

A shock went through his body as her lips met his. _This is really happening. _He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. 

_This is wrong._ He tried to ignore his conscience as he ran his fingers up her arm, and she shivered in response.  Francine was here with him, and he should be happy. _Wrong. Wrong._

"Francine, wait a minute." He gently pushed her away from him.

"What?" She said breathlessly, and leaned in to kiss him again. 

 He moved away from her and sat up.  

"What's wrong, Alex? I thought this was what you wanted" 

He looked over at her, and felt his heart stop. _So beautiful._ "It is what I want, Francine. There were times over the past year that I thought about kissing you like that. I still do. It's just that I don't want you like this. Your heart isn't clear."

She sat up next to him. "Alex, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Would you be here if you and Will were getting along right now?"

"Of course, I would, Alex," she said matter of-factly

"Would you have kissed me like that if you two were still together?"

He looked at her and waited for her response. He felt a sinking feeling growing in his stomach as she bit her lip. He already knew what her response would be.  "You wouldn't, Francine. I know you wouldn't."

Standing up from the hammock, he held his hand out to her. "Look, I won't lie. Having you over here has been wonderful, but the next time you kiss me like that, I don't want any doubt in your mind as to why you're doing it. Okay?"

She looked him over and smiled. "You've got it."


	6. Chapter 6

"Cessation"

Email: jch114@hotmail.com

Distrubution: Cover Me and Alias fanfiction list. Anyone else please ask

Summary: Will and Francie's burgeoning relationship takes a pause.

Rating: PG/PG-13

Classification: Drama/Angst/General, AU

Feedback: Constructive crit or positive feedback

Disclaimer: Alias and all it's elements belong to ABC, JJ Abrams, Bad Robot Productions, Touchstone Television and anyone else who gets a check from the show. Alex Cooper is all mine.

A/N are at the end.

****

Will adjusted his suit jacket as he walked up to the apartment that Sydney and Francie shared.  It had taken a number of promises and a pair of front row tickets to _The Lion King, but he had been able to convince Weatherspoon to change assignments with him. "Now comes the hard part," he muttered under his breath as he reached the door and knocked.   _

"Hey! Will! This is a surprise," Sydney said as she opened the door. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Syd.  Can I come in for a second?" he asked, half hoping that she'd say no.

"Sure," she responded, stepping to the side to let him in.  "What's up?"

He walked over to the refrigerator and took a bottle of water out. "Is Francie here?" he asked as he took a sip.  

"No, she just left with a friend to go to a reception.  I'm not sure if you know him.  His name is Alex Cooper--he's Charlie's cousin."

"Yeah, we've met," he muttered under his breath. He glanced at Sydney to see if she had heard him.

"He seems nice, and he likes her a lot, so that's plus for me.  You should have seen her; she looked beautiful.  She was wearing this dark purple dress with--"

"Black lace over the top of it," Will finished.

"Yeah, with black lace overlay," Sydney said, glancing at him strangely, with a question in her eyes. "She told me it was new, so how did you know about it?"

Will stared at Sydney, wondering why it had taken him so long to tell her the truth.

"Syd, we need to talk." He sat down at the table and motioned for her to sit down across from him. There was a time when he would have given his left hand to have this time with Sydney, but over the past month, he came to realize that it was Francie that he wanted to be with, not Sydney.

"Will, you have my total attention. What's going on?"

He rubbed his hands together and laid them on the table. "Do you remember a month ago when we went to dinner and you asked me if I had started seeing anyone?"

"Yeah, I do.  I said that the only woman I knew you ever went out with was Francie, and you said that you enjoyed her company, that you were happy being out with friends.  Why?"

He sat back in the chair and interlocked his hands behind his head. "I've been seeing Francie." He waited for her response.

A confused smile appeared on her face.  "You and Francie?  I knew you guys had been spending a lot of time together, but since when are you two dating?" 

He watched the confused smile slowly fade as she realized that he was serious, that her joke had fallen flat.

He felt a sappy grin break out on his face, but he didn't care.  "Our first date was a month ago, and we've been seeing each other ever since." _It has been only a month, but it's been the best month of my life._

"Why didn't she tell me about this?" Sydney said, looking at him, her brown eyes wide.  "I know that because of my—my trips that I haven't been around that much, that I haven't really had a chance to sit down and talk with you, but I see Francie all the time. I live with her! Why didn't she tell me?"

Will looked at his hands and sighed. "Because I didn't want her to tell you. I wanted to keep the fact that we were dating between the two of us."

"Why?"

Will thought about how easily Francie's hand would slip into his when they were at dinner, and how at ease he felt when she fell asleep on his chest. He missed that feeling but he missed Francie more.  He glanced over at Sydney and smiled slightly. "You know, I don't know."

"You don't know?" Sydney asked as she pushed her hair behind her ear.  She looked at him.  "I don't believe that, Will."

"See, I-I--"

He shook his head.  "Look, I don't--" He laughed and crossed his arms.  He leaned back in the chair even though every muscle in his body was a tight ball.

"I keep acting like it's some big secret.  I used to think that I was in love with you.  Francie still thinks that I am, because I haven't found out how to tell her that she's the one that I'm in love with and that you're a wishful fantasy that I don't even--"

He stopped and put his hand on hers.  "I love you, Sydney.  I'll always love you.  Just like I love Amy.  But what I feel for Francie is different."

"Will, I had no idea that you felt that way," Sydney said, leaning back in her chair. She bit her lip and looked at him.  "So, you and Francie?"

"Yeah, me and Francie," he responded, a slow smile coming to his face. He took a deep breath and relaxed his arms.  It felt good to get it out.

"If you hurt her, Will—" Sydney started to say.

"I won't, Syd, I couldn't. I love her," he said, cutting her off. "I love her."  
  


****

"Without the support of my staff and friends, I'm not sure that I'd be up here tonight. So, thank you all for this honor," he said, smiling. He stepped down from the podium.

Alex couldn't help the big smile that was showing on his face as he walked back to the table he was sharing with Francine. "You were great," she said quietly as he sat down next to her.

"Thanks," he responded and squeezed her shoulder. "It meant a lot that you were able to come with me, Francine."

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world, Alex" she said, glancing at him over her shoulder.  "Thanks again for asking me."

"You're welcome," he said turning his attention back to the band at the front of the banquet hall. A smile came to his face as the band started to play a familiar song. "Care to dance?" he asked holding his hand out to her.

"I'd love to," she responded, taking his hand.

Leading her out to the dance floor, Alex felt like skipping. Not once had Francine mentioned Will or the situation between them. _Maybe __she's over him._

****

Will watched as Alex and Francie danced closely together. "Another beer, please?" he said to one of the bartenders.

He thought back to all the times where he could have told Sydney about them. _That was all she wanted. It was all I had to do.  Looking at them dancing together and seeing Alex's arm wrapped tightly around her waist, he wondered if he had lost Francie altogether.  _

"You should be a photographer. You're looking at them hard enough," a familiar female's voice said behind him.

"Hey, Maxine," Will muttered, turning around to face his friend. "What are you doing here?"

"Believe it or not, I actually knew someone who was coming, and I tagged along." She leaned over the bar next to him and motioned towards the bartender. "I'll have Chardonnay, please.  So, no luck with Francie yet?"

"No, I've been thinking that this isn't such a good idea," he answered, taking a sip of his beer. "Look at them."

"I did already. They _do look nice together," Maxine said.  Will could see her looking at him from the corner of her eye. _

"He's not even holding her right. She doesn't like one arm around her waist; she likes it when I have both of my arms around her," he mumbled, looking at them again.

"That may be true, Will, but who's the one holding her?" She took a sip of her wine. 

"Way to be a reality check, Max," Will said, frowning at his friend. He'd never tell her that she was right.

"It's my job," she replied with a smirk. She looked over his shoulder. "It appears my date is looking for me." She sat her glass on the bar top and looked at him. "Try to work this out and bring back happy Will; mopey Will isn't fun to have around the office."

***

Francine shivered as goose bumps appeared on her arm. "Are you okay?" Alex said to her as they moved in sync with the music.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said absentmindedly.  "You ever feel like someone is watching you?"

Alex laughed and said,  "Well, a few minutes ago, I felt like every eye in the room was on me, but you wouldn't know anyone here, would you?"

She smiled weakly at him. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I just get these funny feelings every now and then."

"You're having a good time, right?" he asked, looking at her, his eyebrows drawn together in concern. 

"Of course, I am. I just can't help but feel like someone's watching me."

"Well, what kind of feeling is it? Scary? It's not me, is it?"

"No, it's not you at all, Alex.  It's just an odd feeling that I'm getting, that's all." _Tell him the truth Francie. __You feel like Will is here, except that he isn't._

"Whatever it is, forget about it. We are here to have a good time. Got it, young lady?"

"Got it," she said as he spun her around.  She stopped as she saw a blonde man standing at the bar, drinking a beer. Her breath caught as she stared at the man for longer than she intended. "Will?" she whispered.

"What did you say?" Alex asked as he spun her back around.

"That guy at the bar looks a lot like Will," Francine said, a warm flush coming to her face.  

Alex looked over her shoulder and the smile that was on his face froze. "That is Will, Francine."

Francine watched as a myriad of emotions played on his face and felt her heart sink. "Will being here doesn't mean anything," she said looking down at her feet. 

"Then why won't you look at me?" he said, sadness echoing in his voice.

She tried to fight the tears that were threatening to fall as she looked up at him. "I'm sorry, Alex."

"Come on, we need to talk," he said, taking her hand in his.

*****

A/N: Thanks to Robin for the beta per usual. There is one more part after this, and I'm down to two of my summer WIPs.  Do you see the light at the end of the tunnel?  Thanks to Thorne, Celli, Aire, Lara, Karen T., Nanda *yes, I am your minion*, and anyone else who has supported everyone in this growing Alias fandom.  


	7. Chapter 7

"Cessation"

Email: jch114@hotmail.com

Distribution: Cover me and Alias fanfiction list

Summary: Will and Francie's burgeoning relationship takes a pause

Rating: PG-13

Classification: Drama/Angst/General, au

Feedback: Constructive Crit or positive feedback

Disclaimer: Alias and all its elements belong to ABC, JJ Abrams, Touchstone Television, and anyone else who gets a paycheck from the show. Alex Cooper is all mine.

A/N are at the end.

*****

"Have a seat," Alex said to Francine, leading her to a concrete bench.  He sat down next to her.  "I wish I wasn't right about you, Francine."

"What do you mean?" 

Alex caught his breath as he looked at her.  "Do you know that Charlie used to tease me when he realized what I felt about you? He said that I'd taken too long.  I'm starting to believe that I have some of the worst timing."

A sad smile came to his face as he watched a look of realization appear on her face.  "Alex, wait a minute, I—"

"Just let me finish, okay?" he said quietly, taking her hand in his. "When I ran into you again, it was like I'd come to LA at just the right time.  But it didn't take long for me to figure out that Will was someone important to you, and when you two started arguing, I told myself that he wasn't significant, that he didn't deserve you, but I was lying to myself."

Francine opened her mouth to speak, but he stopped her with a shake of his head.  "You're in love with him, Francine. I knew it then, and it's more evident now."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, looking away from him. He heard the pain in her words and knew that she was lying to herself more than him.

Bringing his hand to her face, he turned it to loot at him. "You're still a bad liar. If you aren't in love with him, why did you react the way you did when you saw him?"

"I told y-you it doesn't matter to me that he's here; I'm here with you, Alex," she said. "I care about you."

"And I care about you, Francine, you know that, but you don't care about me the same way you do for Will.  It's obvious, but I didn't want to face it."  As he looked at her, he could hear Charlie's voice in his mind. _What are you doing, Alex? Another missed opportunity. _ "I can't believe that I'm doing this," he mumbled.

"Look, Alex, it doesn't matter to me that Will is here. Honestly. I'm here with you," she said as she stood up. "So, let's go back inside."

He sighed as he looked at her. It would be so easy to allow her to ignore her feelings for Will, and for him to ignore what was had been so apparent the first time he had seen them together. "Francine," he said, standing up to face her. "I'm sorry, but I can't.  It wouldn't be fair to either of us to go back in there and pretend that Will isn't there.  It just wouldn't be right.  Straighten things out with him, and if you still swear that you don't have feelings for him, then give me a call." He leaned in and kissed her on the top of her head. _I hope he knows how lucky he is._

***

Will looked through the crowd for another glimpse of Alex and Francie. Convinced that they had gone off together, he turned to the bartender again. "Just a glass of water, please."   As he paid for his drink, he turned and was face to face with Alex.

"Oh, hey, Alex," he said, trying to hide his surprise.

"A whiskey sour, please," Alex said to the bartender. "Hello, Will."

"Great speech," Will said, looking around for Francie. _Where is she?_

"Thanks," he mumbled. "If you're looking for Francine, she's not in here; she's out on the deck," Alex said as he paid for his drink.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, worried.

"Everything's fine," Alex responded, taking a taste of his drink. He put the glass back on the bar and turned to face Will. "Do you know how lucky you are?"

Will thought about his Francie. He thought about the woman he loved dating another man, dancing with him, letting him hold her close. "How am I lucky?"

"To find someone who cares about you the way Francine does. It's a rarity nowadays."

As Will started to respond, Alex held up his hand. "Look, if I were any other guy, I would've done whatever it took to get her to forget about you. And as badly as you messed it up, Will, it would've been easy."

Will opened his mouth and started to protest, but shut it quickly realizing that Alex was right. It could have been that easy. Francie loved him, he was almost sure of that fact, but he had hurt her badly.  "I don't know what to say."

Alex picked up his drink and looked Will over. "Say you'll treat her right, because if you don't, I'm not letting her walk away again. I know that I can treat her the way that she deserves to be treated. Like I've already said, if you're looking for her, she's out on the patio."  He turned and walked away.

Will looked towards the open patio door, and then back towards Alex's retreating figure. Will admired the man. He knew that if he were in Alex's position, he couldn't have just walked away from Francie. Now he needed to go find her and try to make everything right again. _He's right._  Placing the glass back on the bar top, he went outside.

***

Francie tried to stop the tears that were falling as she looked out into the night. She cursed herself for being so obvious when she saw Will standing near the bar.  She _had _missed him, more so than she had allowed herself to believe she could. 

"Francie?" Her shoulders tensed as she heard a familiar voice behind her. _Will._

She looked over her shoulder and saw him standing there looking at her concerned.  "Hey," she said stoically.

"Hey," he said quietly, sitting down next to her. "You okay?" 

She wiped at her eyes and turned away from him. "I'm fine."

"You're a terrible liar, Francie," Will said, looking out into the night. Francie winced as he unknowingly echoed Alex's earlier words.

She shrugged and turned to face him. "What do you want?"

"I did it," Will said as he continued to look out into the night.

"Did what?" she asked.

"I told Syd about us," he replied, turning to face her.

Francie let her shoulders relax a little bit. _He'd actually done it._ "There's an us now?"

"I hope so," Will answered as his eyes searched hers.  

Silence was the only response she could give him. 

"I told Syd that you thought I was still in love with her. I even had the guts to tell her that you're the one I'm in love with. Completely and totally in love."

As she looked at him, she realized that it would be so easy to let this go; to forget how he had hurt her, but she couldn't.  She stood up and turned to face him. "Will, you have no right. You can't expect to come in here like a knight on a horse, tell me that you love me, and expect everything to be okay."

He looked up at her. "Francie, as much as I want to think it, I know that this isn't going to be an easy fix, but I do love you.  I really do."

"Why did it take me breaking up with you for you to tell Sydney about us?"

He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "It wasn't about Sydney. Okay it was, but it wasn't."

She looked at him, confused. "What are you talking about, Will?"  

"The way I felt around you was really like nothing I'd ever experienced before. I was at ease, never having to pretend to be someone I wasn't. To tell the truth, Fran, it scared me. It was too good to be true, and I thought if we could keep the world away, it wouldn't bust my bubble."

He grinned and shook his head. "I know that it doesn't make any sense, but it's true.  I wanted you all to myself—I didn't even like sharing you with Sydney."

The smile faded from his face, and he looked into her eyes, letting her see everything that he was feeling. "And I didn't want to tell Sydney because I thought she would be the one who would pop that bubble."

"Will—" Francie started.  

"Just let me get this out, Fran. I need to say this: I've spent years putting Sydney up on this pedestal. She was so perfect, but she never chose me. I wasn't even allowed to get into the running, and I couldn't help but wonder why."

She felt her heart softening as she looked down at him. "There is nothing wrong with you, Will. I can't believe that you thought that there was."

"Well, I did.  Yearning for someone who never returns your feelings wears you down, Francie. It makes you start to doubt yourself, makes you wonder why can never do enough or be enough to get her attention."

A bird chirped in the distance, and Will sighed.  "I was afraid that she would sit you down, ask you what happened to your common sense, and point out all the reasons why Will Tippin wasn't enough."

She sat down next to him, and laid her head on his shoulder. "Well, she'd have a hell of a time convincing me that you aren't enough."

"I'm glad to hear that," he murmured as he ran his hand down her arm. "I missed you, Francie."

"I missed you too, Will," she replied, moving closer to him. "So, you're in love with me?"

****

Will smiled as he looked down at the woman that he was in love with. "Yes, I am.  I'm sorry it took all of this for me to realize it."

"No one ever said you were quick," she said, with a small chuckle. Her smile faded as she looked up at him. "Will, I have something to tell you."

He felt his heart drop as he thought of the one thing she could tell him. _I don't feel the same way. _

She laid her hands out in front of her. "First, let me say that I'm glad that you told Sydney about what was going on between you and me. I don't feel like I have to sneak around her any more. Thank you for doing that.  Second, I kissed Alex this week at his house."

Will's head snapped to attention. "You kissed him? You guys didn't—"

She shook her head and smiled sadly. "No, we didn't. Most guys would have taken advantage of that situation, but not him. He told me that 'my heart wasn't clear.' I tried to deny it at the time, but seeing you here tonight convinced me otherwise. Alex is a good guy."

Will thought back to what Alex said to him. _"Say you'll treat her right, Will."_ "Yeah, he's a decent guy."

"And there is something else—something that I couldn't even believe until tonight." 

"What is it, Francie? You can tell me."

"I feel the same way about you.  I—I love you too, Will. I've been in love with you for some time now, which is why this thing with Sydney hurt so much. I wanted to be able to share how I felt with her, and I couldn't. It killed me," Francie said, tears starting to form in her eyes.

Will wrapped his arm around her and pulled her towards him. "I'm sorry that I put you through this, Francie." He wiped the tears from her eyes as he titled her face towards him. "I love you so much. I need you to understand that." 

"And I do, Will," she said softly. "I love you too."

He leaned in and kissed her gently. "I'm never going to get tired of hearing that." 

"You better not," she replied, returning his kiss. "We should get out of here."

Will looked around and noticed that there were people glancing at them through the open French doors.  He chuckled as he stood up and held his hand out to her. "Let's go."

****

He couldn't take his eyes off of her as they walked into the apartment she shared with Sydney. It was like he was looking at her for the first time.

"Have a seat," she said, pointing towards the couch.  "Do you want something to drink?" 

Will took off his suit jacket and sat down.  "Water, please." He looked at the picture of the three musketeers: Sydney on one side, Francie on the other, and him in the middle. "Good times," he murmured.

"Here's a bottle of our favorite wine to celebrate you and Will. I love the both of you.  Sydney," Francie said loudly from the kitchen.

"What did you say?"

She walked into the living room with two glasses and a bottle of wine. "Sydney left us a bottle of wine," she said, handing him a piece of paper.  "I think she's on another trip for the bank."

Will read the note over quickly and smiled. "She's happy for us."

"I'm happy for us, too, Will," she said as she handed him a glass of wine.  

He took a drink of wine, and looked at her again.  He watched her as she started taking her hair down, and took a sip from her glass. He was amazed that a simple movement could interest him so much.

She looked at him from the corner of her eye.  "What?" she said with a slight smile on her face.

He tried to slow his racing heartbeat as he looked her over. "You are so beautiful."

"Thank you, Will," she said as she finished taking her hair down. "You aren't looking half bad yourself.  So, now what?" she said as she took another sip.  "What happens with us now?"

"Well, there are two ways we can handle this," he said as he sat his glass on the table.  "We can call it a night and talk tomorrow, or we can take advantage of the situation."

Francie smiled.  The look she was giving him reminding him of the first night they had made love.  He had taken her out to experience sushi, and she had gently seduced him, opened him up to new experiences, new possibilities.  With a Cheshire grin, she slid around on the couch and straddled him.  She leaned down, putting her lips next to his.  "Normally I love talking, but tonight sounds like a good time to take advantage."

He shivered, enjoying the feeling of her breath across his lips.  "Really?"

She nodded.  "Yeah, I've never gotten to show you my bedroom before.  Did you know I have an old four poster bed?"

He nodded.  "Yeah, I mean I've been in it--"

Putting her finger on his lips, she shook her head.  "You've never been in it as my lover, Will.  You've never been a man wanting to join me in that bed."

His pants were cutting off his circulation.  "Francie--"

"Have I told you that I own all kinds of silk scarves?" she sighed into his ear.

"Silk scarves," he gulped.  He remembered what she had done with his belt that first night.

"Yeah," she said with a grin.

He leaned forward, putting one hand behind her head.  He kissed her.  "I'm all for you taking advantage of me, too.  So the vote's unanimous."

She laughed as he stood up with her in his arms.  "I love you, Will."

"I love you, too, Francie.  And I plan on showing you just how much," he answered her with a grin as they walked through her bedroom door.  He used his foot to slam it shut behind him.  Just in case Sydney hadn't left overnight.  Tonight was all about them.

******

A/N: Just to quell any questions, a LOT of this fic refers to Appat, Konwvate, and Regen. Those can be found here and Konwvate can be found at Cover me or my fanfic page: http://www.geocities.com/drubaby61/ 

Woohoo! It's done. A big sloppy thank you to Robin for helping me with this fun fic; it's been an absolute blast.  Thank you Celli for the encouragement amongst other things, the title of this fic still belongs to you, m'dear.  Thank you to everyone who has helped with this fic in their own way.  I can't remember everyone, but you know who you are.  Thank you to everyone who reviewed this fic, I appreciate it.  One down, two more to go. 

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